Thoughts and stories, by Pal

I have mentioned before that I knew and loved Larry Barkdull, now deceased, who wrote this article.  He was willing to publish 3 Simplified piano books, back in 1989, and 1990, that I had written.    He passed away within the last year. Two of my own grandchildren had statements in their Patriarchal Blessings to the effect that they had a "Council of Grandfathers" who were watching over them.  That goes along with this choice article.   I have his book, "Rescuing Wayward Children", that is very inspirational.  Angels Are Not Always Strangers By Larry Barkdull  · November 26, 2017 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE Editor’s Note: Our friend and longtime Meridian writer Larry Barkdull recently passed away. To remember and honor him this is one of a series of his past articles that we are republishing regularly. As we work to reclaim our wayward children, we are not alone. Often angels are...

I'm reposting the 16th blog I wrote -- 936 blogs ago!  It is well worth reposting! TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2013 16. Controlling Anger --And Jumping to Conclusions I learned many important lessons in life from my dear mother, Ruth Allen Miles.  I've mentioned her in here before, and will often I think.  The lesson which I will talk about, I quote from our life story book, page 343: ON ANGER MANAGEMENT: When I was about in the 7th grade, when our family home was still a basement, I remember some Saturday, Mom had left me in charge of my two sisters while she was gone.  I was to see they did their jobs.  I don't remember who came , or what I did or said, but I guess I was quite rude to one of Vina's friends.  When Mom got home, Vina told her of what I'd done, and Mom said, "Pal, why did you act like that?"  I replied, "I was so angry I didn't know what I was doing."  Mother just l...

Two movies to see at this Christmas time!  This one I definitely want to see!  Another that we saw yesterday was "Coco", a Disney animated movie, all about families!   It was such a fascinating story, with many Gospel truths woven into the plot!  It will undoubtedly turn the hearts of people (children included) to some of their ancestors -- and their stories, and their talents and interests! The Man Who Invented Christmas By Maurine Proctor  · November 21, 2017 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE In the somewhat dreary, tedious, violent run of movies this fall, I have been anticipating  The Man Who Invented Christmas  to come to the theaters, but I had no idea that it would be so much more than charming or delightful. This glimpse into Charles Dicken’s life during the six weeks he is writing  The Christmas Carol  is about my favorite theme and perhaps the most important subject...

Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm posting this on the night before Thanksgiving , so anyone who can get BYUtv will be able to either watch it tomorrow, on Thanksgiving at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, or record it. BYUtv’s Thanksgiving Special: A Very Different Kind of World War II Film By Mariah Proctor  · November 19, 2017 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE Instrument of War,  a new film from BYUtv set to premiere on Thanksgiving day ,  is inspired by the true story of WWII bomber pilot Clair Cline who was shot down and taken as a prisoner of war in a German prison camp. The story follows him and the other surviving members of his mission as they struggle to remain psychologically sound while in the captivity of a hardhearted commandant. And how does Cline choose to cope with this helpless and hopeless situation? By building a violin from only what he can find in their dingy, meager captivity. It is, in ...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL YOU DEAR PEOPLE EVERYWHERE! Before this inspiring article, I want to mention how grateful I am for so many many things!   This morning my daughter-in-law Julie told me of one of her friends whose father had just passed away.  He was 98 years old, and had been bed-ridden for 11 years.  He was from a foreign country and didn't speak English well, so she didn't want him to have to go to a care center where he couldn't talk to people and tell them how he felt.  She had taken care of him, and he was even on a feeding tube for most of that time, needed diapering, etc. I felt grateful that my dear husband, Wayne, was allowed to pass away without having to go through much time bed-ridden.  He loved life so much!  He was on a feeding tube for his last month, and would have been for how ever much more time he would live, as it seemed his esophageal cancer had come back and closed off his throat.   I feel so grateful to be li...